The Conch Bearer

By: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Narrated by: Alan Cumming

You are about to embark on a remarkable journey. It begins on the teeming streets of Kolkata, India, and will transport you across arid plains and turbulent rivers to a secret valley high in the Himalayas. Along the way you will encounter powerful spirits, both good and unspeakably evil; fantastical creatures; and a trio of intrepid travelers who will linger in your memory long after the end of this audiobook.

In a dingy shack in the less than desirable neighborhood that he calls home, 12-year-old Anand is entrusted with a conch shell that possesses mystical powers. His task is to return the shell to its rightful home many hundreds of miles away. Accompanying him are Nisha, the headstrong but resourceful child of the streets, and a mysterious man of indeterminate age and surprising resources named Abadhyatta.

This is a fantasy of the first order; an exotic and compelling adventure story that is almost impossible to stop listening to.

One of the BEST stories I’ve ever heard!

This story is so enchanting, so engaging, so full of subtle lessons of goodness and compassion, kindness and examples of emotional intelligence for when we go through inevitable negative human emotions. We need more stories just like this!!! I was absolutely thrilled by the ending but so very sad it was over. I can’t wait to hear the next book!Excellent performance by reader, unmatched storytelling by the dear author!!! Love, love, love, love!!!

Fantastic Story, bad choice of narrator

I loved this story. I hated the fact that a white britisher narrated it. Why can we not have Indians narrating Indian stories?!?! his mispronunciation of words was EXTREMELY disappointing and almost made me stop listening.

Boring book

This book was extremely boring I had to get the audio version cause I just couldn't sit down and read the book. Alan cumming was great Loved the accent
I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

Nothing original here

What disappointed you about The Conch Bearer?

Completely stolen from the Harry Potter books, a total rip off of the story. Alan Cummings is great but couldn't get past the first hour.

Would you ever listen to anything by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni again?

not one bit.